IT’S HARD to know if Mayo manager James Moran seemed a little flustered when trying to make sense of this victory because it really could have gone Kerry’s way, or because he was rushing to the airport, eager to do a final head count before taking his team on a six-day training camp to Portugal.
Either way there’s plenty more to think about while getting some sun on their backs, including the fact that a team in danger of relegation just three weeks ago are now looking forward to a league final against Cork.
What is certain is that Mayo are heading in the right direction.
“We’ve been trying to improve every game,” he said, “and while we did make some mistakes, we kept going for the full 70 minutes, and again into extra-time. That’s pleasing, the way we stuck to our game plan.
“If things weren’t working we tried to change them too, but we got there in the end. There was one period, towards the end of normal time, when we looked in some difficulty.
“But we kept going, and eventually got there, with some luck, maybe, to get the two goals in the end. But then we were unlucky not to get another penalty along the way. Every time you come to Croke Park and win games it builds confidence.”
Had Kerry equalised then it’s fair to assume Mayo mightn’t have enjoyed their trip away as much as anticipated: “Well no,” said Horan. “We’re back next Saturday anyway, so a replay wouldn’t have been a problem. We’d factored that into the plans as well. We’ll get a good hard spell of training in Portugal this week, work a little on the team dynamic, and it’s brilliant to have another game in Croke Park next month.”
Kerry manager Jack O’Connor seemed anything but flustered about not getting another game in Croke Park next month, although that’s not saying he wasn’t flustered about things.
“Yerra overall, no calamity,” he said. “It’ll be forgotten about in a week’s time. Obviously we’re disappointed we didn’t close the game out there. But look, our main objective coming into the league was to find a few new players, and we used a fair few again today. So it’s been a great league for us, in that respect.”
Had Kieran Donaghy not been so complacent with one ball it would almost certainly have been a Kerry victory: “He’s disappointed,” said O’Connor. “That’s an understatement, I’d say. Look, he was trying to do the right thing, but miscued it a bit. One of those things. If we hadn’t given away the goal there at the end I think we’d have closed the game out, but we’d five or six fellas with the flu and head colds as well, so we’re happy enough with the league, overall.”
